Products

About

A Report Based on the Functional Areas, Business Processes and Information Systems

Topics:City of Holroyd, Management, City of ParramattaPages: 11 (2680 words)Published: May 30, 2010

Title Page

A report based on the functional areas, business processes and information systems of NSW’s Holroyd City Council

Student Name:Julie-Ann Khouri

Contents Page

Title Page2

Contents Page3

Executive Summary5

1.0 Introduction6

2.0 Organisation Description7

2.1 Background Information7

2.2 Goods and Services Offered7

3.0 Functional Areas Description8

3.1 Corporate & Financial Services8

3.2 Library & Community Services8

3.3 Engineering Services9

3.4 Environmental & Planning Services9

4.0 Business Process Description10

4.1 Corporate & Financial Services10

4.1a Administrative Services10

4.1b Corporate Planning10

4.1c Customer Service10

4.1d Financial Services11

4.1e Human Resources11

4.1f Information Technology11

4.1g Risk Management12

5.0 Information System Description12

5.1 Council’s Information System12

5.1a Inputs12

5.1b Outputs13

5.1c How the Information System and Functional Areas are connected13

6.0 Conclusion13

References14

Bibliography15

Appendix16

1a – Holroyd City Council Organisational Chart16

Executive SummaryThe following is a business report that highlights and looks into the functional areas, business processes and information systems adapted of an organisation. Holroyd City Council (HCC) is a local government area and suburb located in the Western suburbs region of Sydney, New South Wales. Initially incorporated as a Municipality in 1872, and later proclaimed to a City in 1991, HCC covers 17 suburbs around the local government area (Holroyd City Council Website), and is the organisation used in this report.

Functional areas (or departments) have traditionally been what organisations are organised around, and they are generally related to specific business disciplines or areas such as, human resources, sales and marketing, production and IT (CIS13 Lecture Slides). Normally a business processes and functional areas of a business are associated together. A business processes allows for there to be an understanding of how business perform their work whilst the functional areas are there to provide an understanding of what is being done (CIS13 Lecture Slides). Finally, information systems are a set of interrelated components that collect, manipulate and disseminate data and information that is used in that business process so it can provide a feedback mechanism to meet an objective (CIS13 Lecture Slides).

The below report will look into how the different functional areas of HCC are supported by the business processes adapted and how the information systems adapted by HCC are connected. Due to limited information regarding the information systems used by HCC, assumptions have been made in place of actual data collection.

1.0 IntroductionRobbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter (2006) define an organisation as being the deliberate arrangement of people in order to accomplish a specific purpose (p. 6). Three common characteristics, their distinct purpose, deliberate structure and the people behind it identify organisations (Robbins et al, 2006, p. 6).

Functional areas (or departments) have traditionally been what organisations are organised around, and they are generally related to specific business disciplines or areas such as, human resources, sales and marketing, production and IT (CIS13 Lecture Slides). Depending on the size of the business or organisation, the number of functional areas established can vary between 1 and 50, in some cases even more. Function areas are able to provide the organisation with a more focused, precise and professional working environment.

Normally a business processes and functional areas of a business are associated together. A business processes allows for there to be an understanding of how business perform their work whilst the functional areas are there to provide an understanding of what is...

...
Functionalareas in business
In a business, it is usually easier to identify separate functionalareas or tasks because people work together in departments. Each department carries out the tasks that relate to its particular area.
The administration function
Administration is a support function required by all businesses and this does not mean just doing keyboarding or filing. Senior administrators carry out a wide range of tasks, from monitoring budgets to interviewing new staff or their departments.
The customer service function
All businesses must look after customers or clients who have an enquiry, concern or complaint. Today, customer expectations are high. When people contact a business they expect a prompt, polite and knowledgeable response. Unless they get a high level of service they are likely to take their business elsewhere in the future.
The distribution function
Distribution means ensuring that goods are delivered to the right place on time and in the right condition. Some companies, such as Amazon and Debenhams, deliver direct to the customer, particularly when goods are bought online. Other businesses, including B &amp; Q and Sainsbury’s, hold stocks in giant regional warehouses, for delivery to stores around the area. Superstores may use special vehicles, which can also carry chilled or frozen items....

...properly within the area of business.
One of the areas of business that a manager plays a role in is Strategic Planning. Organizing and planning is a priority in businesses. Organizing and planning has objectives that involve developing business goals, organizing business resources to advance these goals. Both internal and external data is used about the industry, markets and competition provides information that is needed in order to direct the organizations resources and to also identify organizational needs.
Managers are also responsible for making decisions in an organization, which involves choices that are related to changes that is needed to adapt internal and external factors that have an effect on business operations. Managers must also decide how and where to use resources within an organization. Other decision making responsibilities can include choosing suppliers and vendors for goods and services for the organization.
Managers use accounting for financial decision making. Accounting for managers involves forecasting, relevant costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, investment appraisal techniques.(Accounting for Managers) Managers that use accounting sets targets for strategic business units as well as for departments, accounting assists in the assignment of responsibility for achievement of business targets by...

...FunctionalAreas
This is also known as the
different departments within
the business
What different functionalareas/departments do
think most businesses
Marketing
have?








Finance
Sales
Human Resources
Administration
Research and Development
Production
Customer service
What do you think each of
the following departments
do?








Marketing
Finance
Sales
Human Resources
Administration
Research and Development
Production
Customer services
Marketing and sales




The processes designed to meet the
needs of the consumer
Market research both primary and
secondary research
Primary – collecting information first
hand e.g. questionnaires
Secondary – analysing information which
has already been gathered e.g. company
reports
Marketing and sales


Marketing also deals with what is
commonly known as the 4 Ps:
product, price, place and promotion
Most well known is promotion –
deals with advertising, sales
promotions and PR (public
relations) and publicity campaigns.
Sales





Businesses can sell in many ways
Sell through retailers
Personal selling – through sales
reps e.g. insurance
Mail order
Internet selling
Customer service



Customers expect- knowledgeable staff,
prompt attention/service, polite and
helpful staff
Duty to provide a positive shopping
experience – to make the customer feel...

...10/1/2013
BusinessInformationSystem
Dr. Butts
1. In the world today, businesses need knowledge management systems to help gain strategic advantages. Knowledge management systems are informationsystems that support the creation, organization, and dissemination of business knowledge to employees and managers throughout a company .Gaining a strategic advantage over competitors requires the innovative application of information technologies. For example, store management might make a decision to install touch-screen kiosks in all stores, with links to e-commerce Web site for online shopping. This offering might attract new customers and build customer loyalty because of the ease of shopping and buying merchandise provided by such informationsystems. Thus, strategic informationsystems can help provide products and services that give a business a comparative advantage over its competitors.
2. Business managers face several challenges managing the successful and ethical development and use of information technology. Success in today’s dynamic business environment depends heavily on maximizing the use of Internet-based technologies and Web-enabled informationsystems to meet the...

...﻿Functionalareas
All businesses need to be well organised to achieve their aims and objectives. Certain tasks or functions must be done regularly. In a large organisation e.g. Tesco PLC, Newvic College, people work together in functionalareas as it gets jobs done faster and easier.
Below are the main functionalareas:
Marketing function
The Marketing department would be responsible for: Marketing Research
This means when an organisation collects data by doing a questionnaire, and also they do presentations to tell everyone what new ideas they have come up with to make money. Customer care and services .This means that the marketing department deals with any customer complaints and problems that they have. Sales promotion and advertising this means that they are responsible for making sure that all the sale promotions are out so that customers can see them, and also they are responsible for making sure that advertisements are done for the organisation and their products or services. These are the main responsibilities that the Marketing department has. In order to complete them the marketing department would need to work closely with the finance
Finance
The main activities of the finance department are:
To record all the business transactions this means that they record all the expenses that have been paid and all incomings. They also make sure that each department does...

...﻿
Table of Contents
Introduction
In the 21st century InformationSystems has become an essential part of every business or, as Nicholas Carr wrote in his famous “IT doesn’t matter”, Information Technology has become a backbone of comerce1. We simply cannot imagine our everyday life without having an opportunity to check our mail, order something online, book tickets or read news from all over the world.
In nowadays world the data has become the new currency in the digital economy. Vast quantity of data is captured with every message we send, every credit card we swipe, every order we make. But it is only useful if it is processed and used for innovation by increasing our collective knowledge. Leaders should take a holistic and integrated approach that mirrors how organizations think, how they operate and how they respond now and in the future. By combining and analyzing multiple data sources like social, text-based and point-of sale data companies in sectors such as retail, telecommunications and banking, can understand the needs of customers. Organizations can use high performance analytics to meet customers’ needs in real time yielding transformational and valuable insight in seconds instead of hours. In a typical day a customer service might face 600 phone calls, 400 mails and 300 Internet comments. That is a subtle quantity of data within one day. Companies are missing a major...

...﻿Task 1.
Management InformationSystem (MIS)
In my words, Management InformationSystem is a digital, or computer based tool, which provides managers of all levels, as well as regular employees, with information crucial to perform their tasks more effectively.
Management InformationSystems are used especially by managers and they help them with different areas of their work:
gathering needed information
decision making
feedback
evaluation of processes
Management InformationSystems combine information from various dimensions or branches of the company or organization, such as:
finance
logistics
accounting
customer service
production
other
Some synonyms for MIS are as follows:
IT
Management Information Services
Other
Some examples of Management InformationSystems:
CFM (Car Fleet Management)
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Task 2
Examples of MIS
car fleet management (cfm) and customer relationship management (crm)
USOS Web
Dropbox
CFM: System that helps to control how cars are used in a company. Driving performance, fuel usage but also sales performance and efficiency.
USOS Web: Internet platform, used to help students to enrol courses and contact...